Fins are provided on watersport boards, such as surfboards, boogey boards, sailboards, and the like, to help control the boards while moving across water. Many conventional surfboards include a foam core coated with fiberglass and resin to form a hard surface. These types of surfboards may be referred to as “hardtop” surfboards. Both permanent and removable fins may be used with hardtop surfboards. Typically, such fins are substantially rigid and may be formed from fiberglass materials or injection molded plastics, such as nylon and the like. One example of removable fins is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,376.
Some conventional surfboards may be made from foam, but do not include a fiberglass and resin coating, at least on the top surface of the board. Instead, these types of surfboards have an upper surface made of a relatively soft foam material, and are therefore referred to as “softshell” surfboards. Softshell surfboards are typically provided with fins that are made of a relatively flexible material, such as a urethane (e.g. a polyurethane). The fins of softshell surfboards are typically much more flexible than fins of hardtop surfboards. Since the softshell surfboard fins are made from a flexible material, such fins are typically smaller and thicker than fins of conventional hardtop surfboards. The smaller profile and thickness of the fins provide reduced performance than the fins associated with hardtop surfboards.
Some hardboard fins are provided with a flexible coating along the leading and trailing edges of the fins, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,273,472 and 5,951,347. The flexible coating of these fins do not extend significantly to the side surfaces of the fins. The flexible coating is provided to help reduce injury resulting from contact with the fins.